Charmer segment

That’s the name Stein Tronstad from the Norwegian Polar Institute gave to the last map sheet, the one we are now using. At the moment, it’s difficult to see any charm. We have had yet another day of -30°C and strong headwinds.

Amundsen had some tough times on the plateau. First he was weatherbound at “the Butcher”; then he got himself entangled in a horrific network of crevasses east of where we are now. But a few days ago he left “the Devil’s Glacier” behind at last. He wrote: “we were all rejuvenated, both men and dogs, and moved swiftly south.”

We hope the name of this map sheet will in time fulfil its promise. But before we see any charm, we must probably get past the highest elevation along our route, Titan Dome, which has a tattered reputation where weather is concerned. The last 200 kilometres in towards the South Pole lie over an area where the weather is fairly reliable: little wind, lots of sun, good skiing conditions. We are looking forward to that!

In the 1930s, attempts were made to introduce new animal species to regions where they were not naturally represented. Reindeer were shipped from Norway to South Georgia, and penguins were imported to Norway.

South Pole 1911–2011 is an informational outreach project run by the Norwegian Polar Institute
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